Another Sunrise
by Tempest Rose
Summary: Byakuya sits and watches the sunrise while indulging in a guilty pleasure and his own thoughts. My first bleach story, it's a songfic that wouldn't leave me alone.


I do not own Bleach or any of the characters from the show. The song Vanilla Twilight is by Owl City. Really I should be drawing or working on one of my other stories but I can't get this out of my head. Song lyrics will be in italics.

_The stars lean down to kiss you_

_And I lie awake and miss you_

_Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere_

Byakuya was hiding in his private garden, the one that he had made just for Hisana. She had gotten him hooked on simple human things, like music. She had loved American music, and he had gathered quite a collection to make her happy. He had to admit to that small guilty pleasure; he had never stopped buying new albums from time to time. Of course their technology changed, and in order to hear his favorite songs, the head of the noble Kuchiki clan had to adapt his music players to keep up. His all-time favorite human invention had to be the iPod. Capable of holding literally thousands of songs, yet small enough to fit in his pocket. It was thanks to this small and ingenious gadget that he was able to listen to the song that had recently become his favorite.

'_Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly_

_But I'll miss your arms around me_

_I'd send a postcard to you, dear_

'_Cause I wish you were here_

Every time he heard this song it made him think of Hisana, and how much his heart ached in her absence. Clicking the back button on his iPod, Byakuya lost himself in the lyrics of Vanilla Twilight as he gazed upon the sunrise over the koi pond the he had managed to keep hidden from Yachiru.

_I'll watch the night turn light blue_

_But it's not the same without you_

_Because it takes two to whisper quietly_

_The silence isn't so bad_

'_Til I look at my hands and feel sad_

'_Cause the spaces between my fingers_

_Are right where yours fit perfectly_

What would she say if she could see him now? Would Hisana be grateful that he had found Rukia and adopted her, or would she hate him for how he acted when said sister was set to be executed? Sighing deeply, Byakuya suspected she would frown at him over that, but tell him that she understood his indecision. He chuckled softly when he realized she would be more upset with him for dwelling on her for so long when he should be moving on and finding happiness again. 'Would she understand that my life is incomplete without her, that no other woman could ever hold my heart?'

_I'll find repose in your ways_

_Though I haven't slept in two days_

'_Cause cold nostalgia_

_Chills me to the bone_

Byakuya shivered suddenly as he felt a chill race down his spine, the crisp air almost too cold against his skin. Wrapping his arms around his body, he let his shoulders droop with the weight he could feel on them. Sometimes Byakuya had no idea how to be what everyone expected of him. Being a husband had been easy, being just another shinigami out of thousands was a cake walk, but being a captain and the head of his clan got to be so trying sometimes. Another sigh, he adjusted the headphones in his ears so that they wouldn't fall out and turned the volume up just a bit in the hope of drowning out his responsibilities for a little while.

_But drenched in vanilla twilight_

_I'll sit on the front porch all night_

_Waist-deep in thought because_

_When I think of you I don't feel so alone_

_I don't feel so alone_

_I don't feel so alone_

As the sky began to turn its normal pale blue, he thought back to the first time he had met Hisana. She had been working in a small teahouse that Byakuya would often slip away to when he wanted to get away from his family. She had just started working that day but she wasn't at all nervous around him, even going so far as to tell him a joke so that he would smile. Byakuya wished fervently that he could remember what the joke had been, but he had been so surprised that she had spoken to him in such a casual way that he hadn't heard it at all. He just chuckled when she began to giggle after the punch line, amused by how the lights reflected in her eyes and entranced by the melody of her voice.

_As many times as I blink_

_I'll think of you tonight_

_I'll think of you tonight_

Watching the sun climb over the wall at the far end of the garden, Byakuya felt at peace with his mind for the first time in years. He might have screwed up some with Rukia in the past, but he would do better. He would show her that he loved her as his precious sister, and that she would always have him on her side. Though he would never admit it out loud, Byakuya was glad the he had met Kurosaki. The brash and obnoxious boy had shown him what an abysmal job he was doing as a brother, and even told him how to fix it. Rukia had said once that the boy had two younger sisters who he would gladly die for, in fact they were the reason he had become a shinigami in the first place. Rukia had offered her powers to that boy so he could save his sisters from the hollow that was attacking their home, and Byakuya no longer had to wonder if he would have done the same thing in Kurosaki's place.

_When violet eyes get brighter_

_And heavy wings grow lighter_

_I'll taste the sky and feel alive again_

_And I'll forget the world that I knew_

_But I swear I won't forget you_

_Oh, if my voice could reach_

_Back through the past_

_I'd whisper in your ear_

_Oh darling, I wish you were here._

As the song ended, he stopped the small device and pulled the ear buds off. Standing up and stretching his back, Byakuya smiled to himself and decided that today would be the day. He would show Rukia just how much she meant to him, and he would tell her about her late sister. He knew she was curious, but the girl was much too timid around him to ask the questions he knew she had. That would change now, Byakuya silently declared. He wanted her to know she was loved, and maybe together they could finally heal from Hisana's untimely departure from the world.


End file.
